Sandals Day Passes: Which one should I go to?

[dongordon]

Last January, I did the day pass at one of the Sandals and it was great. Can't remember which one, but it was fairly close to the port

 

I believe there are three Sandals.

Can anyone tell me which one has the best facilities as far as pools and restaurants / bars?

 

Are reservations required in advance for all of them?

 

Thanks.

Don

Edited November 2, 2013 by dongordon

[reedprincess]

Last January, I did the day pass at one of the Sandals and it was great. Can't remember which one, but it was fairly close to the port

 

I believe there are three Sandals.

Can anyone tell me which one has the best facilities as far as pools and restaurants / bars?

 

Are reservations required in advance for all of them?

 

Thanks.

Don

 

There are 3, advance reservations are required at any of them (email confirmation is fine) and you pay on arrival.

La Toc is about 15 minutes south of the port, hilly, lovely beach and pools (one beachside with all the activities and swim up bar, one a little further up the hill that is very quiet and another at the top of the bluffs with swim up pool bar also), a bit tough for water sports overall as the sea can be a bit rougher. Halcyon is about 10-15 minutes north of the port, smaller, flat, quieter, nice enough beach, 2 pools, etc. Grande is about 30-35 minutes north of the port, flat property again, large pool beachside with swim up bar, lagoon pool, lovely beach (best one for watersports overall, although Halcyon is good too), livelier than Halcyon. All three have buffets for lunch, pool/beach service, burgers and pizza, etc, lots of bars with drinks flowing and so on. Depends a little more on travel time, watersports, views and so on.

Enjoy whichever you choose, although in St. Lucia - a trip down the west coast to Soufriere and the Pitons, etc is much more recommended than a beach day as our beaches overall are not the best, in comparison to other islands, while our scenery and experiences can't be beat! Enjoy your day whichever you choose to do.

[dongordon]

Thank you

 

I beliieve I went to La Toc last year and it was so nice. The swim up bar was great.

 

You did not mention a swim up bar at Halcyon which I really enjoyed, so we will probably go back to La Toc because of that fact.

 

I would rather not travel 30 - 35 minutes, so Grande will probably not been an option.

 

Thanks again....I will have to send an e-mail to make a reservation.

 

Don

[reedprincess]

All 3 resorts have swim up bars - Halcyon has a swim up bar at both pools. Sorry, I didn't really mention every detail about each resort, it was more of a quick overview. You can check out the Sandals website for pictures - may help you determine which one you visited last time. Enjoy your visit.

[dongordon]

Thank you.

 

I suppose they will also have way of contacting them about reserving a day pass on their web site as well....correct?

 

Don

[reedprincess]

Thank you.

 

I suppose they will also have way of contacting them about reserving a day pass on their web site as well....correct?

 

Don

You can use the 800#, call direct, email, etc.

You could also consider the Rendezvous resort, which is AI, adults only and only about 5 minute taxi ride or 15-20 minute walk from the ports, and is lots less expensive for a day pass ($65US instead of $100US pp) and has pretty much all the same stuff - pools, long beach, swim up bar, some activities, etc. Worth checking out too....

[dongordon]

Thanks, I will do that.

Is the Rendevous as luxurious as Sandals?

 

Also, I remember we had breakfast and lunch at Sandals when we went there.

The breakfast was very nice.

 

Don

[reedprincess]

Thanks, I will do that.

Is the Rendevous as luxurious as Sandals?

 

Also, I remember we had breakfast and lunch at Sandals when we went there.

The breakfast was very nice.

 

Don

Between them, luxury depends on what you mean by it. Rendezvous is lush, has all padded loungers around the pools, beach and pool service, swim up bar, better food overall (not as industrially prepared and totally subjective), etc. Sandals is a chain, and has some aspects of chain resorts, and some luxurious touches along the way. As you won't have a room - those differences matter not at all (although Rendezvous has larger basic rooms than Sandals), etc. The aspects that you would be participating in are pretty comparable. You can again, check the websites for photos, and check TripAdvisor for comparisons and traveler photos.

Personally, our favorite AI on the island is Rendezvous - you don't feel so much like one of the masses as you can at Sandals, but Sandals does provide a good product. And to save $40 pp, how much of a difference can there be?

Totally p to you, enjoy whichever you choose.

[dongordon]

Thank you so much for all your help.

 

I believe I will discuss this with my wife and perhaps try Rendezvous.

Are advance reservations required for day passes at this resort?

 

I did check out the web site and it does look very nice.

The 5 minute taxi ride or short walk is also very appealing.

 

You have been a wealth of information and I greatly appreciate it. :)

 

Don

[reedprincess]

Thank you so much for all your help.

 

I believe I will discuss this with my wife and perhaps try Rendezvous.

Are advance reservations required for day passes at this resort?

 

I did check out the web site and it does look very nice.

The 5 minute taxi ride or short walk is also very appealing.

 

You have been a wealth of information and I greatly appreciate it. :)

 

Don

It's worth at least comparing them through pics on TA and their own websites.

You would need to at least notify them in advance of your plans - the email addresses are on their website. You get a confirmation, and pay on the day, either cash or CC.

Enjoy, whichever you choose.

[dongordon]

Thank you again for your help......looking forward to seeing St. Lucia again.

Such a beautiful island. :)

 

I forgot, are their any special products there that I should bring back to the states with me( e.g hot sauce, liquor, etc.)?

 

Don

[Raven12]

Just got back from a 7-day RC cruise and did a day pass at Rendezvous. We were in St. Lucia a year ago for our honeymoon and stayed at the Sandals Grande. We decided not to go back for the day due to the distance from the port and the cost. Rendezvous was a better choice on both measures (above posts are accurate on distance and $65/pp cost).

 

To contrast the two, Sandals is definitely geared more for social butterflies and a younger crowd. We are in our early 30s but prefer a more laid back vibe. Rendezvous has two main pools and a nice beach with padded lounge chairs and fluffy towels provided. We did notice the color of the water was not as blue as on the North side where the Grande is, so we opted to lounge by the pool instead. One of the pools is sort of like a lazy river, only you can't float down it (more like connecting thin shallow pools). The cool part was it's surrounded by landscaping and there are a few bed-like lounge areas (with pillows!) that give you lots of privacy. The service was excellent. The lunch had more local-type cuisine than the Sandals, which we appreciated. Overall I'd say the only thing we missed was blue(er) water and the drinks were slightly better at Sandals.

 

We brought back local soaps and their wood carvings are really pretty. Port Seraphine has a decent amount of shops and pretty good liquor selection (there are a few types of rum made in St. Lucia featured at the resorts). My husband loves the local beer, Piton. :)

[HS2BS]

This resort was a Sandles about 10 years ago, then Sandles sold it after building new ones. The bottom of the pool has been scraped and reprinted but the Sandles logo was embedded into the concert and still appears slightly.

We have been to Rendezvous(romanticholiday.com) and enjoyed it each time, and are returning this February on our Eclipse cruise.

[reedprincess]

This resort was a Sandles about 10 years ago, then Sandles sold it after building new ones. The bottom of the pool has been scraped and reprinted but the Sandles logo was embedded into the concert and still appears slightly.

We have been to Rendezvous(romanticholiday.com) and enjoyed it each time, and are returning this February on our Eclipse cruise.

 

Rendezvous has not ever been part of the Sandals hotel chains, it has been Rendezvous Resort for over 30 years here in St. Lucia. It was briefly part of the Couples chain - but that was a long while ago also. Sandals Grande was also not a new build, it was formerly a Hyatt about 12-15 years ago and acquired by Sandals and refurbished.

[dongordon]

How do I contact Rendezvous by e-mail for inquiry about the day passes?

Someone posted that they only allow couples and my 21 year old daughter is traveling with us.

 

Thanks.

Don

[dongordon]

Hi Reed Princess....you have always been so helpful on these boards.

 

Would you have the e-mail address of the Rendevous Resort so I can find out if I can bring my 21 year old daughter with my wife and me for a Day Pass at the resort when we arrive in St. Lucia.

 

Otherwise, I will probably have to go with Sandles.

 

Thanks (only 9 days before I cruise!) :)

 

Don

[OntarioTraveller]

The email we used was. Angus@theromanticholiday.com

We got a quick response. The email we received from Angus did state that it is a "couples resort".

Hope this helps!

[dongordon]

Thank you for the information.....I will contact them.

 

Don

[OntarioTraveller]

Let us know what they say!

[dongordon]

Will do...so far, no answer from my e-mail.

 

Don

[dongordon]

Ontario Traveler....

 

Angus got back to me and at first said that the cost was $65 / person.

I had mentioned in my original e-mail that it would be my 21 year old daughter with my wife and me.

 

I wrote back thanking Angus and saying that we would be looking forward to visiting them in January, but that I wanted to be sure that although they indicated they are a couples resort, my daughter would also be welcome.

 

Angus apologized and said that he/she had not picked it up in my e-mail about my daughter and had to rescind the day pass approval.

 

So, I guess I am going to Sandals. :)

 

Don